Windows 2000 Security Books Reviews

The problem with most security books is that almost as soon as their published, they're already a little out of date. All of these books provide excellent overviews of security, but no are (or can be) an absolute reference. Use
these books as introductory guides to Hacking and Security Guidelines, but the best resources available for staying current are on the web.

Note:
Most links on this page will take you to the books
description on Bookpool.com.
Bookpool is an online bookstore similar to Amazon.com,
but they specialize in Technical books (and they are
less expensive.) This is not a paid endorsement, and we
do not receive sales commissions from Bookpool.com. We
just think they're the best place to buy our books. We
hope you'll agree!

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The
Art of Deception: Controlling
the Human Element of Security
By Kevin D. Mitnick and William L. Simon. Published
by John Wiley, October 2002. Hardcover, 352 pages. ISBN
0471237124 "Social engineering", or the
art of deceiving and manipulating people in order to
gain information, is an underestimated security risk
that is rarely addressed in employee training programs
or corporate security policies. For the hacker, it's an
essential skill that can be used to bypass even the most
sophisticated security measures without even being
detected. Sound far fetched? Social engineering was the
one the preferred tools used by the most notorious
hacker in the world, Kevin Mitnick - the author of this
book. The goal of "The Art of Deception" is to
raise awareness of the tools and techniques of social
engineers, and not to teach the art to a new generation
of hackers. Mitnick spends 13 of the 16 chapters
relating "fictional" accounts of social
engineering techniques, provides analyses of these
accounts from both the attackers and victims
perspective, and then offers advice on preventing or
defeating these attacks. The accounts are brief,
entertaining, and eye opening to those uninitiated to
con games. The analysis and advice section are written
in layman's terms with a minimum of technical jargon,
making this an ideal book for management as well as
administrators. For the security administrator, the last
2 chapters are the real jewel of the book. Here, Mitnick
provides a number of sample security policies and
procedures, including data classification categories,
verification and authentication procedures, guidelines
for awareness training, methods of identifying a social
engineering attacks, warning signs, and flowcharts for
responding to requests for information or action.
Included with every security policy suggestion is a
follow up paragraph of explanations and notes that
outline the potential vulnerabilities in the policy. Definitely
a must read for the security conscious! Read
our full review here.
Publishers Price: $27.50 each Street Price:
$17.50 Bookpool.com

Hacking
Windows 2000 ExposedBy Joel
Scambray and Stuart McClure. Published by McGraw-Hill,
September 2001. Paperback 495 pages. ISBN 0072192623
If your a fan of the popular "Hacking Exposed"
series, but are tired of skimming past the UNIX/Linux
and Novell sections, the publishers have spun off the
content into a an operating system focused series.
Although many of the exploits outlined in this book have
already been addressed in Microsoft service packs and
hotfixes, it's important to understand the hacker
mentality of how to locate vulnerabilities and how to
rattle the "doors and windows" of a network.
(Also keep in mind that 90% of successful attacks use
known vulnerabilities) The authors do a great job of
walking you through simulated attacks, explaining the
tools used to attack your system, and what
countermeasures are available. They also include a
suggested reading list after each chapter, and a
security checklists at the end of the book for Windows
2000 pro and server as well as IIS, SQL, and Terminal
Services

Our recommendations...

Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets and SolutionsBy Stuart McClure. Published by McGraw Hill, October
2001. Paperback 729 pages, ISBN 0072193816 Our
favorite security book just got even better! The third edition
adds information on wireless networks, Windows XP, Windows .NET,
as well as new strategies for preventing untrusted access to
SNMP, Active Directory, and NetBIOS/SMB services using IPSec
filters, firewalls, and TCP/IP Security. This is an impressive work, and one of the best "how to" security books we've ever read. This book
literally walks you step by step through a hackers attack on a network, starting with basic sweeps and rattling the doors and windows. It covers all of the tools of the trade and common techniques for Unix, Novell, and of course NT.
This edition also includes a CD-ROM with links to security tools
mentioned in the book, key security tools for download from the
CD, and a password database. If you're new to security and hacking, this is the
book to get! Check out the companion website at http://www.hackingexposed.com

Windows
2000 Security Handbook
By Tom Sheldon, Published by McGraw Hill, December 2000.
Paperback 738 pages, ISBN 0072124334 This is an
excellent place to start for inexperienced Administrators who are
just learning the basics of Windows 2000 and
need to master security as well. It reads and feels
like a textbook, featuring detailed walkthroughs, easy
to understand explanations, and lots of screenshots and
illustrations. The coverage is thorough and includes a
basic primer on security threats, countermeasures,
policies and management before moving on to an overview
of Windows 2000 Security and User and Group management,
auditing, firewalls, proxy servers, remote access,
securing clients, enterprise security, and IIS. The
appendix ISA server as well as third party tools for
auditing and intrusion detection.

Hack
Proofing Your Network: The Only Way to Stop a Hacker Is
to Think Like One
By
Ryan Russell and Stace Cunningham. Published by
Syngress, July 2000, Paperback, 450 pages. ISBN
1928994156 Although this book isn't written specifically
for Windows 2000 (or any single OS), it is a very well
done and real world guide covering common hacker methodologies,
classes of attack, and hacking theory that should be a
required reading for all network administrators. Buffer overflow,
session hijacking, sniffing, spoofing, and other common
attacks are covered in detail. The chapters are well organized
and include plenty of script examples, screenshots, and
special tips for IT Professionals. Once you pick up this
book and start reading it, you won't be able to put it
down!

Configuring
Windows 2000 Server SecurityBy Tom and Deb Shinder. Published by Syngress, November 1999.
Paperback, 394 pages, ISBN 1928994024 This book isn't
a primer to Windows 2000 security or an in-depth desk reference,
but a very
"hands on" workbook for new and experienced
administrators who need to understand and configure the new
security features in Windows 2000. Kerberos v5,
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), NTFS file encryption, IP Sec,
Smart Cards, and the new Security Management snap ins for the
MMC are covered in detail The authors provide easy
to understand introductions to each component, followed by step
by step illustrated walkthroughs of how to install and configure
them. In addition, each chapter ends with a helpful summary and
FAQ.

Securing
Windows NT/2000 Servers for the InternetBy Stephan Norberg. Published by O'Reilly
& Associates, November 2000. Paperback 199 pages.
ISBN 1565927680 A very practical, hands on, and straight to the point reference. This book is filled with checklists and
countless step by step walkthroughs supported by screenshots
and useful illustrations that will guide you through the
process of creating and managing a secure web server.
Although a certain level of Administration experience is
expected, the author does an excellent job of covering
both basic and advanced topics, including valuable
real world lessons in each chapter. The book begins with
an introduction to Internet security and dives straight
into building and administrating a Bastion host. This is
followed by an excellent chapter on configuring Windows
NT/2000 for Remote Administration that covers Terminal
Services, PCAnywhere, or Open Source software. The last
2 chapters focus on auditing and maintaining perimeter
security, and the appendix features a useful table of
well known ports used by Windows NT/2000 services. You
can read a Sample Chapter of this excellent book here.

E-Mail
Virus Protection HandbookBy Brian Bagnall, Published by Syngress,
October 2000. Paperback, 476 pages. ISBN 1928994237 With
80% of today's computer viruses entering computer
networks through the e-mail system, it's important to
lock down the corporate mail servers and clients. This book
is the place to start. It begins with an easy to understand and well
balanced introduction to the threats facing e-mail
systems including histories and case studies of e-mail
attacks. The next chapters focus on securing mail
clients including Outlook 2000, Outlook Express, and
Eudora as well as web based mail issues. The mid section
contains some semi-useful information regarding client
side AntiVirus applications, Mobile Code Protection, and
an overview of several personal firewalls. The last
third of the book is the most valuable. It includes an
excellent chapter on securing Windows 2000 Advanced
Sever and Red Hat Linux 6. Additional chapters cover
Exchange 5.5 as well as Sendmail and IMAP security. The
final chapter covers the deployment of server side
e-mail content filters and scanners including
Groupshield, ScanMail, and MIMEsweeper. Overall we found
this book to be an excellent and realistic look at the
problem with clearly presented solutions that will save
you time and aggravation. If you're in charge of
securing your company's mail systems, this book may even
save your job!.

Network Intrusion Detection : An Analyst's
Handbook, 2nd EditionPublished by New Riders, Sept 2000. Paperback 430 pages. ISBN
0735710082
Although not written specifically for Windows 2000, this is an excellent and practical technical reference by the developer of the Shadow intrusion detection system. However, it should not be
considered to be a primer for the uninitiated, and strong TCP/IP skills are a must if you want to get the most out of this book. Coverage of common attacks, architectural issues, detection of exploits, intelligence gathering, risk management, and tools are excellent. The
author also provides plenty of personal anecdotes and samples of real log files throughout the book, making this a valuable resource for
Admins who want a real world perspective of intrusion detection.

Windows 2000 Security Little Black BookPublished by Coriolis Group, February 2000, Paperback 415 pages, ISBN 1576103870 A straight forward, task oriented work on security. The organizational style of the book makes it easy to find what you need, making it an ideal desk reference. We found it a bit too dry to
read cover to cover, and feel that it's better suited to experienced NT administrators who need to brush up for Windows 2000. If you're new to Windows 2000 and enterprise security you may want to "cut your teeth" on something else first.

Maximum Security: A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Internet Site and Network,
Third EditionPublished by Sams, May 2001, Paperback, 861 pages, ISBN 0672318717.
When the first edition of this book was published in June 1997, it immediately shot to the top of several computer security bestseller lists, surpassing even established security books. Written by a
"reformed" Hacker, this book covers security from a Hacker's perspective on Windows NT, Novell, UNIX and Macintosh.
Although the book is a good introduction for administrators new
to security, it focuses on so many operating systems that the
content devoted to Windows NT/2000 is paltry. The CD contains
many of the utilities discussed in the book as well as links and
other resources.

Peter Norton's Security FundamentalsPublished by Sams, November 1999. Hardcover, 232 pages. ISBN 0672316919 An ideal primer for managers and network administrators looking for a well rounded overview of network and system security. Covers risks and planning, firewalls, dial in networking and VPN
security, authentication, network planning, security concerns for the major operations systems, desktop security, intrusion detection, and post incident response. We found this book to well organized, and very easy to read. If you're short on time and just need the basics,
this is the book to get.

Where to find great books at great prices....

Bookpool.com
Everybody knows about Amazon.com, but Bookpool is frequently less expensive, and they specialize in Technical Books. They carry MS Press, O'Reilly, Que, Osborne, SAMS, and others.

FatBrain.com
Another online professional bookstore. Although we prefer Bookpool's prices, FatBrain has a better selection in a few categories. Essentially our second stop on the web when looking for a title.

O'Reilly and Associates
Publishers of some of the best books in the industry. Well written, concise, accurate, and great cover art!. If I'm looking for a reference book, I always check O'Reilly first. I've never been disappointed. (This is not a paid endorsement!)

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